Jennifer Hudson

Former "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson won the supporting-actress Academy Award on Sunday (Feb. 25) for her role in the hit film "Dreamgirls," even though she never acted before.

Hudson won an Oscar for her first movie, playing a powerhouse vocalist who falls on hard times after she is booted from a 1960s girl group. The role came barely two years after she shot to celebrity as an "American Idol" finalist.

"Oh my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win," Hudson said through tears of joy. "If my grandmother was here to see me now.”

“She was my biggest inspiration. She was a singer. She had the passion for it, but she never had the chance," she said, fighting back tears.

"Dreamgirls" also won for achievement in sound mixing, but the film's Eddie Murphy lost his bid for best supporting actor to Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine."